Are you connected to mountaintop coal?

A full 1/3 of all coal in the U.S. comes from Appalachia, much of it from mountain top mining practices that are illegal under the U.S. Clean Water Act. But until now it has been difficult to know whether or not your local utility purchases this dirty coal.

Appalachian Voices, a nonprofit conservation group, has put together an amazing website called I LOVE MOUNTAINS that lets you trace exactly where the coal that powers your home via a Google Earth mashup. Here is the cool gadget. Type in your ZIP code and see what happens:

I was pretty shocked to see that mountaintop coal has found its way even as far as Los Angeles!

What to do?

Get informed by reading my story (recap) on Mountaintop coal mining as it stands today or check I Love Mountains for latest news.

Check to see if your grid buys illegal mountaintop coal. And if so write them and tell them how bad this is for their reputation.

Sign the nationwide petition to pass the Appalachian Restoration Act, which will be voted on this summer!

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.